Opinion | EastBayRI.com - News, Opinion, Things to Do in the East Bay

Letter: Managing to save Atlantic herring is a tall order

Thanks very much for your column on the status of Atlantic herring in the March 28, 2024, East Providence Post. As you probably know, the U.S. Supreme Court has taken up the Atlantic herring … more

4/16/24

RIPTA director’s resignation highlights myriad transportation problems

STORY OF THE WEEK: For a long time, it seemed as if Scott Avedisian was destined to be mayor in perpetuity of Warwick. He could be counted on to win re-election as a genial GOP moderate, even amid … more

By Ian Donnis | 4/16/24

Investigative team starts digging for Washington Bridge answers

STORY OF THE WEEK: “We’re leaving no stone unturned as far as accountability,” Gov. Dan McKee said last Friday, as he unveiled Max Wistow and Jonathan Savage as the lawyers who will … more

By Ian Donnis | 4/8/24

Letter: Concerns about the Mt. Hope Bridge

The failure of the Washington Street Bridge has been extensively reported. It seems there may also be reasons to raise questions about the Mt. Hope Bridge. more

4/4/24

Editorial: APRA fight has government protecting government

Committees in both the Rhode Island House of Representatives and Rhode Island Senate have listened to testimony on a bill that would update and improve the state’s public records law. … more

4/4/24

Ken Block has done a service to this country

Many readers will remember Ken Block as a two-time candidate for Rhode Island Governor and technology entrepreneur who helped the State of Texas save more than a billion dollars in food stamp fraud … more

By Arlene Violet, Esq. | 4/3/24

Block’s book battles confirmation bias with facts

STORY OF THE WEEK: Add Ken Block to the lengthy list of people who’ve told Donald Trump or his campaign that his fake narrative about a stolen election in 2020 is a lot of baloney. In … more

4/2/24

Letter: Dredging the Sakonnet River is a mistake

Dredging in the Sakonnet should be prevented and the attendant difficulties in bringing ashore the power cables returned to Massachusetts where they belong. more

3/28/24

Letter: History’s lesson: Our strength lies in diversity

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion (DEI): These ideas are anathema to white Christian nationalists who fear losing their “rightful place” and their power and authority in America. DEI … more

3/28/24

Letter: Moving forward with required dredging would be a mistake

It is astonishing that these engineering experts don't seem to know exactly what is on the ocean floor of our waterways after the past 100 years of dumping our untreated waste there. more

3/21/24

Editorial: Washington Bridge 'accountability' starts at the top

Recently ConsumerAffairs, a consumer-focused news outlet, rated Rhode Island’s roads as the worst in the country in their 2024 report. The “All That” state slipped from … more

3/20/24

The bridge’s fate is finalized, and the state’s aggravation continues

STORY OF THE WEEK: Gov. Dan McKee made official on Thursday what many suspected: the westbound Washington Bridge is so riddled with structural flaws that it needs to be demolished and replaced , at … more

By Ian Donnis | 3/19/24

Editorial: Let the light shine

Government works best in the light. When its actions are open, seen and transparent, they can be measured. They can be scrutinized. They can be questioned. They can be challenged. more

3/14/24

From Rhode Island native to warrior in the Christian nationalist movement

STORY OF THE WEEK: How did Middletown native Michael Flynn go from being a high-level military official to someone seen as a martyr, warrior and evangelist within the Christian nationalist movement? … more

By Ian Donnis | 3/12/24

Bridge and stadium will be focal points in the next run for governor

STORY OF THE WEEK: The next race for governor of Rhode Island is more than two years away, so assessing the full political fallout from the Washington Bridge saga will take time. In the near-term, … more

By Ian Donnis | 3/5/24

Letter: R.I. Congressional delegation working to protect animals

To the editor: The Humane Society Legislative Fund, a lobbying affiliate of the Humane Society of the United States, publishes its annual Humane Scorecard of Congress … more

3/4/24

Letter: Want a dictator? Be careful what you wish for

We have seen ordinary Americans say on camera that we need Donald Trump to be a dictator, because “America needs a dictator now.” Presumably, they feel that a dictator will be able … more

2/27/24

Latest fertility ruling – yes, yes, no, no!

Three couples sued the Center for Reproductive Medicine, a fertility clinic in Alabama, for inadvertently destroying their embryos. An interloper got into the storage facility, opened up a … more

By Arlene Violet, Esq. | 2/26/24

The busted bridge continues to invite both follies and frustration

STORY OF THE WEEK: Last week, Rhode Island Gov. Dan McKee and RIDOT Director Peter Alviti offered a glimmer of hope for frustrated drivers. A plan developed with the Federal Highway Administration … more

By Ian Donnis | 2/26/24

The increasingly important role of student journalists

When student journalists at Amherst Regional High School in Massachusetts heard last spring that middle schoolers in their town were experiencing transphobic and homophobic bullying, they immediately … more

By Josh Moore and.Justin Silverman | 2/20/24

The follies of a falling bridge, and the high cost of a soccer stadium

STORY OF THE WEEK: Back in the day, the approach of the end of February would signal the time for the Providence Newspaper Guild Follies – the bygone annual satiric sendup of the year in Rhode … more

By Ian Donnis | 2/20/24

Letter: Numbers tell the tale of our foundering economy

In the January 25, 2024 Shorelines Opinion Section, Mr. Clay Commons offers examples to show how well our economy is functioning and requests countering information. He explicitly states … more

2/14/24

To the editor: Where’s the accountability at DOT?

So, according to the current RIDOT deputy chief engineer, the Washington Bridge failures “might” have pre-existed, but no one had noticed this until recently. It was actually an … more

2/7/24

The Washington Bridge story just won’t go away – not anytime soon

STORY OF THE WEEK: After a recent news dump, when the McKee administration shared details of a federal request for records related to the Washington Bridge, Gov. Dan McKee tried to regain control of … more

By Ian Donnis | 2/6/24

A view of the Washington Bridge that once carried motorists over the Seekonk River along I-195 West. It has been shut down for seven weeks, its future uncertain.

Accountability is sorely lacking in the I-195 fiasco

The condition of the west bound lanes on I-195 and the subsequent snarl of traffic has unleashed a furious fusillade of accusations and excuses by those in charge. Tens of thousands of daily … more

By Arlene Violet | 1/30/24